At least 86 killed in local clashes in Nigeria

LAGOS, (Patria) - At least 86 people were killed in what is believed to be attacks by nomadic herders on farmers in central Nigeria, an area shaken by a wave of violence among local communities, police said.

Police said an investigation in villages in Plateau State showed that “a total of 86 people were killed.” Six more people were wounded and 50 houses were burned down, BHRT reports.

A curfew has been imposed in the region, which has been rocked by clashes between Berom farmers and Fulani herders in recent days.

A spokesman for the Plateau State government said the curfew takes effect immediately “to prevent a breakdown of law and order”:

Young men from the Berom community have set up barricades on the road between the state capital Jos and the capital Abuja, attacking drivers who resemble “Fulanis (herders) and Muslims,” according to passengers who escaped the attacks.

Police and the army confirmed the attacks on vehicles but did not provide figures.

Some witnesses, however, claim there were casualties in those attacks.